The present invention relates to oral dispensing devices, and more particularly to a syringe for the oral administration of liquid medicine or drugs which includes a syringe body and a removable nozzle member fitted onto the syringe body. The removable nozzle comprises an elongate tube to which is joined a lip abutment skirt. The syringe body includes a tip insertable through the skirt and into a portion of the tube. Medicine may be dispensed through the tube into an individual's mouth.
It has been found advantageous to utilize a syringe for the oral administration of liquid medicine to children, the aged or infirm. Typically, such an oral dispensing device includes an elongate barrel within which is slidably disposed a reciprocating piston. The piston is reciprocated within the barrel by means of an elongate plunger, and the dispensing end of the barrel includes a flexible tip through which the medicine is injected into the mouth. Interposed between the flexible tip and the end of the barrel is a lip abutment skirt. Such a syringe is the subject of applicant's prior issued U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,337.
When it is desired to administer a liquid medicine to a patient, the flexible tip is inserted into a vial or the like containing the liquid and the plunger is withdrawn with liquid then being drawn into the barrel by suction. The flexible tip is then inserted into the corner of the patient's mouth between the cheek and lower teeth. The medicine is administered into the mouth by means of depressing the plunger whereby the medicine is forcibly passed from the barrel through the tip.
The aforementioned lip abutment skirt effectively prevents the mouth of a patient from contacting the syringe barrel, encourages sucking by the patient, and guards against the tip being inserted too far into the patient's mouth. With prior art devices, the entire syringe assemblage must be cleansed before the flexible tip may be inserted into another medicine vial or before it may be inserted into the mouth of another patient.
There are situations both at home and in the hospital where it is required to quickly and efficiently orally administer drugs to more than one patient. If only a single syringe or a limited number of syringes are available, it is readily apparent that time-consuming cleansing may be required between administration of medicine from one patient to another.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a solution to the aforementioned problem by providing a nozzle member which is readily assembled with a syringe body to produce a syringe for the oral administration of medicine. The nozzle member includes an elongate tube connected to a lip abutment skirt. The syringe body includes a tip insertable through the lip abutment skirt and into a portion of the tube. The nozzle member may be readily removed from assembly with the syringe body after the administration of medicine to a patient, for cleansing or disposal. The syringe body may then be inserted into a new or clean nozzle member for the oral administration of medicine to another. The syringe body remains uncontaminated, because the lip abutment skirt of the prior used nozzle member effectively prevents mouth contact with the syringe barrel.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a removable nozzle member which may be assembled with a syringe body for the oral administration of liquid medicine, which member includes an elongate tube connected to a lip abutment skirt. The elongate tube is adaptable for insertion into a patient's mouth, and the lip abutment skirt prevents an individual's mouth from contacting and contaminating the syringe barrel.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a syringe body and nozzle member assembly which may be readily separated one from the other by application of digital pressure against the lip abutment skirt.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a nozzle member which will frictionally engage a tip on the syringe body in such a manner that when assembled, the nozzle member will not become inadvertently disengaged. A predetermined amount of digital pressure must be applied against the lip abutment skirt in order for removal of the member to occur .